• Published 7th Nov 2012
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The Queen's Revenge - Listener



When the Queen of the Changlings takes her revenge on the ponies, will Twilight be able to stop her? Or, more importantly, will Twilight be able to stop herself?

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To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Luna gasped softly as she spotted Twilight, her wings flapping in an effort to reach the dreamless pony. The distance between the two of them closed quickly and soon the she floated in front of her friend, worry apparent in her eyes.

“Oh, Twilight… What happened to you?” Luna whispered as she looked over Twilight’s darkened form. Up close, she could see something strange happening.


“Her mind-form was flickering, something I had never seen before.” Luna said to the gathered party. Twilight’s friends were all in attendance, as were Shining Armor, and Princesses Cadence and Celestia, whose eyes grew wider at what Luna had said, worry staining their faces.

“Excuse me, Princess, but what exactly is a... ‘mind-form’?” Rarity asked, looking confused as she looked between the three Princess’ expressions.

The Princess of the Night looked to the white unicorn and then to the others, somewhat embarrassed. “My apologizes. It has been quite some time since I have spoken technically about any of this with anyone but my sister.” She explained, before thinking.

“A mind-form is quite complicated to explain, but I will simplify. In the waking world, I can look at you and see you, and the opposite is true, agreed?” She asked, looking around to see several nodding heads.

“You are you, and barring any advanced and forbidden magic, you will stay you. You will not look to drastically different. Now apply that to your dream. Everyone sees themselves differently, and your dreams will display how you see yourself. A pony who feels they are a mare on the inside will see themselves as such in dreams regardless of their physical state, or a pony might see themselves taller, or perhaps a different color. It all depends.”

Rarity nodded, an understanding look coming over her face. “Thank you, Princess.” She said, thinking as Applejack interrupted.

“So, uh... how exactly is a flickering one bad?” AJ asked. “If your dreams show you how you see yourself, what about the times that I had half a mind about two things? Like when I was living in the city, but at the same time, missing home? It seems like it’d be common,” she pointed out.

Luna nodded thoughtfully as Celestia stepped in. “I can answer that one, since I’ve had personal experience as well as Luna,” she said as the darker alicorn yielded the floor. “Perhaps a better way to put it would be to say that your dreams show the real you. You can lie to others, but you can’t lie to yourself. I’ll bet that during your time in the city, your mind-form was still the farmer Applejack we all know today,” she answered as Luna nodded along.

“Another good example was whenever the Nightmare consumed me. Then, my mind-form was still myself, uncorrupted. That’s the only reason I wasn’t destroyed by the elements.”

Pinkie looked surprisingly thoughtful. “Then what about Discord?” she asked, before Dash waved a hoof in the air.

“This is interesting and all, I get it! But what about Twilight?” she asked, looking at Luna.

Luna sighed. “As I said, I have never seen this before. Her mind-form was changing between herself, and the changeling form we see today. My best guess is that Twilight is in battle with herself. She knows who she is, but when Chrysalis… changed her... part of her mind started telling her the opposite.”

She paused, before looking with worry in her eyes at those gathered. “Twilight is being torn apart, mentally. We may be able to heal her body, but healing her mind?” she said, explaining the bad news, “only she can do that.”


Luna looked at Twilight as she watched her form switch, the changes fluid along her body. One minute she would have a carapace on her chest and holes in her legs, but the next she would be full with a soft coat. Luna sat there baffled, as she could only look.

After a few minutes of pondering, Luna looked around at the barren dreamscape, sadness on her face as she saw nothing in the æther. “Dreamless sleep…” She said softly. “Not even a whisper of faint memory in the distance,” she said, looking back at Twilight.

“What did they do to you?” Luna asked sadly as Twilight twitched softly, a pained noise escaping her. The dark alicorn’s eyes widened as she saw a floor form underneath Twilight, ghosts of walls forming around her, quickly solidifying.

Twilight let out a pained yell as she moved, grabbing her head as she writhed in pain. “N-No! I-I don’t want to remember! Y-You can’t make me!” She whispered before she screamed, her dream exploding out from her head, everything becoming detailed and solid as the blast passed through them.

Luna watched as the wave passed her, gasping in shock as she felt everything Twilight was feeling.

She was afraid.

She felt abandoned.

She was in pain.

That and a hundred different feelings passed through Luna in an instant, leaving Luna gasping for air at the sudden overload. One feeling, however, was stronger, and lingered, so strong that she could hear Twilight in her mind.

I am alone.


The group looked at Princess Luna, speechless after hearing what she said, before Celestia cleared her throat.

“That is not to say, however, that we cannot help.” she said, as everyone looked up at her. “Twilight’s condition has stabilized, according to Doctor Haywick. He’s baffled as to how, but she has,” she told the group, holding a letter in front of her.

Cadence looked thoughtful before she spoke up. “I think I know how,” she said as everyone shifted their attention to her.

“How?” Applejack asked, though everyone was thinking it.

“Like it or not, Twilight is a Changeling. For now, at least.” Cadence said as she spoke. “We need to stop treating her like a pony.”

“Like hell we do!” Dash said loudly, angry at the comment.

“Dash! Let her finish!” Shining said as he glared at the offending pony, who sat down and looked at her petulantly
.

“Thank you, Shining,” she said as she continued, “I don’t mean ‘treating’ as in our interaction with her; I mean treating her medically. Or, rather… nutritionally.” She said, saying the last part slowly as she thought of the words.

The group stared at her in confusion before Fluttershy made a soft noise of understanding. “Her food!” she said.

Cadence nodded. “Exactly!” she said, “Twilight is at least part changeling. And what do changelings eat?”

“Love!” Pinkie said, waving a hoof in the air.

“Right. And since she’s been here, she’s been getting it slowly. Not through love, for the most part, but through your friendship with her. You were helping her in more ways than one.” She said, smiling. “I didn’t want to say anything until my suspicion was confirmed, but now that Twilight’s on the mend?” She trailed off, sitting down with a smile on her face.

“So, she’ll wake up?” Rarity asked, hopeful.

Celestia stepped in as she answered. “We can only hope. It’s Twilight’s move now.”


Luna sat down on the ground as she caught her breath, the feeling of being alone still racing through her system as she finally got a hold on herself, looking around for the first time. The room that she and Twilight were in now was open, large enough for five ponies to sleep comfortably, with a large wooden door in the front. The sound of water dripping echoed in the room as Luna looked at Twilight.

Twilight, still shifting in her form, was standing in the middle of the room defiantly as she waited, her breathing even as she stood there. Luna stood and watched as the dream unfolded.

After a few minutes, the door opened and two changelings stood there, looking at Twilight in surprise, seemingly surprised that Twilight was standing.

Twilight didn’t even wait as she launched herself at them, knocking over one as she turned around and bucked the other, both of them hitting the floor with a thud.

She didn’t waste any more time there, immediately sprinting through the rooms and corridors, fighting as if her life depended on it.

It did.

Luna could only watch as Twilight slowly succumbed to the endless changeling drones, one finally getting a lucky punch in, knocking Twilight out.

The whole scene rippled, before Luna found herself in some sort of… well, she didn’t even have a word to describe it. A crude table with straps was in the center of the room, a light of some sort shining down on it and illuminating all the wires around it, and containers filled with who knows what. The scene rippled again, leaving the Princess gasping in horror.

She had seen many things in her time as the protector of dreams, but this was new.

Twilight lay on the table, strapped down as Chrysalis stood there, the Queen holding Twilight’s chin gently as she smiled. “Happy Twenty-Sixth birthday, Twilight.” She said, right before two needles were jammed into her. Luna winced and looked on in horror as Twilight screamed again, writhing as the Queen laughed before turning to leave.

Luna’s horn flared as her magic attempted to take control of the dream, to end it before any more horrors could be done only to find her spell failing. Hey eyes widened as she figured it out. “This… these… are memories?” She asked out loud, the scene rippling again, this time finding the pair back in the cell again, Twilight sitting in the corner, shaking.

Looking right at Luna.

“Get out.” Twilight whispered, her voice low and devoid of any emotion.

Luna looked around, before realizing that Twilight was talking to herself.

“Get out! You aren’t real!” She said, shaking her head and closing her eyes tightly as she backed up.

“You can’t be real! You can’t be here!” She yelled, tears falling as she opened them again.

“You won’t come here. You wouldn’t. Who wants a broken pony?” She asked, before sobbing.

And with that, everything around Twilight faded, leaving both her and Luna floating in nothing once more.


The group looked a little more sullen at that, but they all nodded. Dash stood up. “Well, if we’re done here, I’m heading back.” She announced, before heading out of the room. The rest of her friends watched her leave, Applejack sighing.

“Waiting is hard for her. For all of us,” AJ said aloud, causing Celestia to nod.

“When it comes to things that are important to us, waiting is hard. But, they’re worth the wait,” Celestia said, looking over at Luna, who nodded.

“That’s all we have, for now,” she said, before thinking. “You are welcome to remain in Canterlot Castle as long as needed, but my sister and I have duties to attend to.” She winced as she realized how heartless that sounded.

Celestia wrapped a wing around her sister for a moment, before dropping the hug and turning to Shining Armor. “Captain Armor, I have a task for you.”

He nodded. “What is it Princess?” he asked, standing.

“Scootaloo is healed, and ready to be taken back to her parents in Ponyville. Since she has a habit of running off, why don’t you escort her?” she asked, smiling.

Shining smiled back. “Of course, Princess.”


Princess Luna floated in the æther, stunned at what she had just witnessed, her mind racing at what she had seen. She didn’t want to think of what would have happened if they hadn’t gotten to Twilight when they did.

A sob broke her from her stupor, as she looked at the still-crying Twilight, curled up as she hugged herself. With that scene, Luna broke down and reached out, holding the crying pony close as she comforted Twilight.

She held Twilight for a moment, before Princess Luna opened her mouth and started to sing.

“Little child

Be not afraid

Though storms whip harshly ‘gainst the glass

Hiding things even stranger

But there is no danger

I am here tonight’”

“Little child

Be not afraid

Though thunder explodes across the sky

Your friends stay by

Through low and high

Stay right by your side”

“And someday you’ll know

That dreams are just so

The same rain is but a memory

Through rivers and land

And forests and sand

There is no part of the world you can’t see

Until morning”

“Little child

Be not afraid

Though storm clouds mask Our beloved moon

Its candlelight beams

Carry pleasant dreams

Through the storm to you”

“Little child

Be not afraid

The wind blowing through the Everfree

Brings the fear that you feel

But you know it’s not real

Just shadows, nothing more

Now take a reprise

Dream your paradise

Where no nightmare ever reaches

Shadow bears of light

And when they unite

Its raw sight will see you speechless

Until sunrise”

“For you know

Once even I was a

Little foal

And I was afraid

But a gentle voice was always there

To sing back the tears

Wash away all my fears

And see me off to sleep

Well now I’m a grown mare

Every pony to care for

And I love every single one

When it’s dark and it’s late

I will hold you and wait

Till your dreams shine brighter than the sun”

“And tomorrow you’ll know

That dreams are just so

Where your fears are less than memory

With rivers and land

And forests and sand

And my best friends always near me

Until morning

And I’ll guard your dreams to the morning

And the rain will be gone in the morning

And I’ll still be here in the morning”

Author's Note:

And the heavens parted and a whisper was brought forth throughout the land.
"Listener got off his ass and updated"

Have an update!
A huge thanks goes to Foals Errand for keeping me motivated!
Thank you, as always, to SupuhStar, for editing! I depend on her more than she knows!
And, thank you to River Road for the lullaby! It came out perfect!

Until next time!